10 Aug 1801 this day presented a most beautiful scene from the Hoe, 200 sail laying too, becalmed from horizon to horizon, of East and West Indiamen, under convoy of the Theseus, of 74 gun, Santa Margarita, of 36 guns, and two other frigates ; at 10 A. M. a fine breeze at E.N.E. sprung up, and the whole fleet by noon were clear of the Dodman Point. Per the Naval Chronicle, Vol 6, for Plymouth.

Revision and Enforcement of the Regulations of the Navy by Earl St. Vincent following the discovery of unqualified Naval warrant officers ; a clean up of the dockyards following the discovery of the illegal employment of persons, along with fraud etc. in the dockyards by senior officers etc. following a visitation to the Dockyards in 1802 by the Board of Admiralty and Victualling Board etc.

Fifty Years in the Royal Navy by Admiral Sir Percy Scott, Bt. - who, relative to most senior officers of the period, pulls few punches regarding the negligence of the Admiralty during the latter part of the 19th and into the early part of the 20th Century with respect to what the layman might consider their prime responsibility - efficient Gunnery.

N.B. re Scales of Pay Perhaps worth noting that when shortages in a branch occurred it wasn't unusual to increase rates of pay accordingly or make other adjustments to improved recruitment levels e.g.
a. during the 1840s additional pennies per day were paid to qualified seamen gunnery rating with a view to hoping that they might remain in the service when their ship paid off, but unsurprisingly doesn't seem to have been too successful. I've not always had the revised scales of pay following these changes, so, when announced, I've usually included the announcement, when possible, and linked the headline from this page to the article concerned in order to avoid creating a whole new table for everyone.
b. Good Conduct Badges created in 1849 for those with V.G. Conduct at a 1d. per diem per badge to a maximum of 3 badges.
c. Increased rates of pay paid to Surgeons when there was a shortage, in addition to the creation of new ranks such as the Staff Surgeon and the Fleet Surgeon, with increased pay, in subsequent years with a view to retaining experienced surgeons. Similar things were done for Engineer Officers, but whilst they helped a little, foreign navies and merchant service companies often paid better wages, although some engineers who went abroad, especially to South America, reported difficulties getting paid......so not always a good idea. For an example of this see Thomas Cochrane and his return from South America, having borrowed their ship to return home penniless, with, ISTR, seamen from that vessel walking the streets of Portsmouth in rags and almost having to beg for food, although I gather a lot of the good citizens of Portsmouth helped feed these men, probably having followed their exploits in the Hampshire Telegraph.

Accommodation and instructional facilities created at Woolwich Dockyard for engineer apprentices. 30 boys were already receiving instruction, but it would appear that the school was about to grow a little - 1842

New System of Keeping Ships' Books and Accounts - 1858 you can't see it here, but the result of this order probably gives us the first view of something that was to develop into the ledgers we were familiar with until the introduction of computerised pay in 1971, but from what I've seen very, very simple at this date.

The Flying Squadron - A World Cruise - As seen through the eyes of an officer serving on HMS Liverpool in his letters home - for UK - NZ see the Naval Review for Feb 1925 : www.naval-review.org/issues/1925-1.pdf and May 1925 www.naval-review.org/issues/1925-2.pdf]

Autobiographies - Memoirs

Fifty Years in the Royal Navy by Admiral Sir Percy Scott, Bt. - who, relative to most senior officers of the period, pulls few punches regarding the negligence of the Admiralty during the latter part of the 19th and into the early part of the 20th Century with respect to what the layman might consider their prime responsibility - efficient Gunnery.

Hurrah for the Life of a Sailor - Vice-admiral Sir William Kennedy, K.C.B. - 1851-1895 : includes experiences from the Crimean and 2nd China Wars, and service on the North and South America Stations, amongst others.

From Sail to Steam - Naval Recollections, - Admiral C. C. Penrose Fitzgerald - 1878-1905 : includes service in the Mediterranean, North America and Far East Stations, along with the cruise undertaken by the young princes to Australia.